Sprinkler



Dec. 12, 1933. D, JACQBSON 1,938,838

SPRINKLER Filed April 20, 1931 4L0 m i" a" a0 INVENTOR, 1

' \I NATHAN 0. JACOBSON. J r M W i I ATTORNEY. Mu X Patented Dec. 12, .1933

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

provide a sprinkler which will cover square or rectangular areas; to provide a sprinkler wherein the ratio of the sides of the rectangular area covered may be rapidly and accurately varied; and to provide a sprinkler wherein the absolute dimensions of the rectangle covered may be va-' ried independently of the ratio of its sides. I Other objects of my invention will be apparent or will be specifically pointed out in the description forming a part of this specification, but I do not limit myself to the embodiment of my invention herein described, as various forms may be adopted within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the working parts of the sprinkler embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the sprinkler shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a developed view of the outer edge 26 of the variable contour cam which is utilized to cause the sprinkler to cover non-circular areas.

Figure 4 is a developed circular section, taken adjacent the center, of the cam whose outer edge is shown in Figure 3.

0 Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating the use of the sprinkler to cover a rectangle having a large ratio between its two dimensions.

Figure 6 is'a fragmentary sectional view, on a larger scale, through the sprinkler head.

36 Broadly considered, the sprinkler of my invention comprises a substantially vertical support pipe on which is mounted a rotary head carrying the substantially horizontal sprinkler pipe or arm. This sprinkler pipe is mounted to be oscil- 40 lable in a vertical plane, transverse to plane of rotation. Mounted respectively on the two pipes are a variable contour cam and follower, the

relative position of follower and cam being soarranged as to oscillate the sprinkler pipe coordinately with its rotation. The contour of the cam varies across its face, so that when the follower engages it adjacent the center, the mode of oscillation varies from that obtained when the follower engages the cam near the periphery. I In one of these two positions the oscillations are preferably such that the area sprayed is substan-' tially square, while in the other position the area covered is an elongated rectangle. Intermediate positions of the follower and the cam change the relative dimensions of the area covered between these two limits. The follower is also preferably adjustable in the vertical dimension, so that the mean inclination of the sprinkler pipe can be varied to cover rectangles of diii'erentsize as well as of diiferent dimension ratios.

The two ends of the sprinkler pipe preferably make different horizontal and vertical angles of the body of the pipe, so that the jet from one end will cover the outer portion of the area to be sprayed while the other will cover the inner portion, and so that when one end of the pipe is raised and the other depressed, the relative areas sprayed will not be diametrically opposite, but will supplement each other to give complete coverage of the entire area.

Describing a preferred .form of my invention in more detailed terms, the sprinkler in my invention comprises a vertical support pipe 1, whose base may be held by a suitable tripod or which may be mounted permanently upright in the center of the area to be sprayed. Extending from the upper end of this pipe is a nipple 2, which carries a rotating head3. Many forms of such rotating heads are well known in the art.

Projecting upward from the head 3 is a fitting 80 for carrying water to the sprinkler pipe or arm 5, 5', and for mounting this pipe so that it may be oscillated in the vertical plane. In the present instance this fitting comprises the two vertical arms 6, which terminate in blocks 7 provided with annular' flanges 7'. Between these two flanges is a block 8 which carries the sprinkler pipe, the flanges 7 forming trunnions upon which the pipe oscillates. It is preferable that the two arms 6 each feed one end of the sprinkler pipe in order to prevent undue turbulence and loss of power in eddies in the water fed to the pipe. is shown diagrammatically by the dotted lines indicating channels 9 and 10, shown in the'plan view of Figure 2.

Mounted adjacent the top of the supply pipe 1, and secured in place by a flange 12, is a face cam 13 whose contour varies from adjacent the pipe 1 toward its outer edge. The development of the outer edge in the preferred form of this cam is shown in Figure 3, while a development of its central section is shown in Figure 4. Tracing a circular path about the cam adjacent its center, it will be seen from Figure 4 that its contour represents a series of uniformly spaced ridgesv and hollows, the ridges being indicated by the reference characters 15,

16, 17 and 18,, and the hollows by the reference characters 20, 21, 22 and 23. The ridges, although extending across the surface of the cam from the center to the periphery, are not radial, the'ridges 15 and 18 diverging from each other quite widely, as do the ridges 16 and 1'7, while the ridges 15 and 16 are less divergent from each other, as are the ridges 17 and 18. The hollows 20 and 22 are of the same depth from center to circumference, while the hollows 21 and 23 decrease in depth, rising with the rising ridges.

Slidably mounted upon the sprinkler pipe 5 is a collar 25, which can be clamped in place by a setscrew 26. Ex tending downwardly from the collar is a sleeve 27, within which slides the stem 28 of a yoke 30, carrying a follower wheel 31, which engages the cam. The sprinkler pipe is preferably provided with graduations 32,.whereby the portion of the cam engaged by the follower wheel may quickly and easily be determined. A second set-screw 33, for clamping'the follower yoke, enables the mean inclination of the sprinkler pipe to be set at will.

With the cam follower set upon the sprinkler pipe as shown in the drawing, to engage the cam near its outer edge, the sprinkler will cover a rectangular area as shown in the diagram of Figure 5. When the follower is upon one of the ridges of the cam the end of the nozzle 35 will be raised to sprinkle the corners of the rectangular area, these corners having been indicated by the same reference characters as the corresponding ridges of the cam, but distinguished therefrom by accents. As the follower drops into the hollows between the cam, the nozzle will drop and the spray will cover a smaller radius in order to follow the sides of the rectangle, these sides being indicated by the characters used to designate the hollows of the cam, but also distinguished by accents. As the nozzle 35 is raised, the nozzle 36 is simultaneously dropped, and therefore as the stream from the first mentioned nozzle covers a larger radius while that from the second covers a smaller radius. Since the nozzle 36 is directed-at a different horizontal angle from the nozzle 35, the spray from the nozzle 36 is spraying a side of the rectangle while that from the nozzle 35 sprays the corners. In this manner, the entire area of the rectangle sprayed is covered without gaps between the areas assignable to the two nozzles.

If the cam follower be moved inward along the spray pipe as far as possible, the area covered by. the spray will be a square. Intermediate positions of the follower will give rectangles having varying ratios between the two dimensions.

The ratios of the sides of the area covered being fixed by the contour of the cam, two methods are available for varying the absolute dimension. The first of these comprises changing the water pressure supply to the sprinkler head. This is only partially satisfactory, but the character of the spray as well as the extent to which it reaches are controlled by water pressure. The second method is by changing the mean inclination of the sprinkler arm by adjusting the length of the follower. This governs the extreme distance to which the spray will reach at a fixed water pressure, and is therefore the preferred method of governing the area covered.

I claim:

1. A sprinkler for non-circular areas comprising a vertical supply pipe, a head rotatably mounted on 'said supply pipe, a transverse sprinkler pipe pivotally mounted on said head for vertical oscillation, a cam having a contour which varies continuously radially across its working face, and a follower mounted for adjustment in the plane of said sprinkler pipe to engage said cam at a desired contour, said cam and follower being respectively mounted on said pipes to oscillate the sprinkler pipe upon rotation of the head.

2. A sprinkler for non-circular areas comprising a vertical supply pipe, a head rotatably mounted on said supply pipe, a transverse sprinkler pipe pivotally mounted on said head for vertical oscillation, a cam having a contour which varies continuously radially across its working face and mounted on said supply pipe, and a follower adjustably mounted along said sprinkler pipe. to engage said cam at a desired contour.

3. A sprinkler for non-circular areas comprising a vertical supply pipe, a head rotatably mounted on said supply pipe, a transverse sprinkler pipe pivotally mounted on said head for vertical oscillation, a cam having a contour which varies continuously radially across its working face and mountedon said supply pipe, a follower for said cam mounted on said sprinkler pipe and radially adjustable along said pipe to vary the contour of the cam engaged thereby,

and means for varying the mean inclination of pipe and adjustable therealong to engage varying radii on said cam face to oscillate said sprinkler pipe in variable modes upon rotation of said head.

5. A sprinkler for non-circular areas comprising a vertical supply pipe, a head rotatably mounted on said supply pipe, a transverse sprinkler pipe pivotally mounted on said head for vertical oscillation, a face cam mounted on said supply pipe below said head and having a contour which varies radially from a substantially uniform wave form to a non-uniform wave form, and a follower slidably mounted on said sprinkler pipe to engage said cam.

6. In combination with a sprinkler having a head mounted for simultaneous rotation in a horizontal plane and oscillation in a vertical plane, a disk cam having a working face comprising a plurality of non-radial ridges extending outwardly from the center thereof, and a radially adjustable follower engaging said cam and head for oscillating said head, whereby the intervals between oscillations of said head are varied by the varying are between said ridges at different radii.

NATHAN D. JACOBSON. 

